The tower's ambient hum had long faded from Chris's ears, replaced by the subtle static that came with stillness. The countdown to Mars was now measured in hours, not days. His room felt heavier than usual, not from gravity, but the weight of choices. The Chris System interface hovered before him like a pulsing shrine, awaiting his command.
Since his last Tower dive, things had changed. Earth itself had begun to feel like an extension of the Tower—a space bending gently under the pressure of his divinity. Monsters were appearing in pockets across the globe. Chris System users were awakening faster, responding not just to proximity, but to intent. The world was growing unstable.
He needed to bring order.
And the system had given him a tool.
A new feature had quietly unlocked the night before: Divine Quest Authority.
It was primitive—still tied to the system's version 0.83—but functional. Chris couldn't write elaborate mission objectives or nuanced strategies. Not yet. He could only issue one of two primal commands: Destroy or Collect Invaders.
He took a breath and focused.
"System," he said quietly, "initiate first divine quest."
The screen flickered, then stabilized. A golden halo ringed the text as a new menu opened.
[Divine Quest Initiated]
Command: Destroy
Target: Tower Invaders, Class C and higher
[Divine Broadcast Enabled to Chris System Users]
[Syncing Objectives to All Participants]
[Guidance System Activated]
All across the planet, something shifted.
For the first time, Chris System users felt a mental tug—like someone drawing a thread connected to their spine. Glowing arrows appeared before them, directing them to danger zones. Information surfaced in their minds like memories: classifications, weaknesses, group dynamics. It was as if a second consciousness had slotted itself behind their eyes.
Chris closed the interface slowly. The act had drained him—not physically, but spiritually. It felt like shouting across an entire planet and hearing the echo return through billions of walls.
He looked out the window. The city hadn't changed… but somewhere, deep beneath its surface, it had begun to listen.
⸻
He didn't stop there.
With a few navigations through the system, Chris opened the financial interface. His Inventory displayed every resource he had collected so far: materials, cores, rare items—and credits.
The system had long since converted Tower points into a tangible economy. Until now, Chris hadn't thought to push that power beyond trades or crafting prep. But with the crafting feature still locked until Version 1.0, this influence could still manifest in another way: currency transference.
"Convert tower wealth to Earth currency," he said.
[Conversion Initiated…]
[Divine Credit Exchange Rate Applied]
[Amount Converted: $2,000,000 USD]
[Funds Deposited to Designated Earth Account]
Chris exhaled.
He hadn't expected the number to be that high.
Apparently, rare mineral cores and divine components were worth more than he thought.
⸻
Later that afternoon, he found Nia in the empty common room of their apartment complex, eating takeout and browsing real estate apps on her cracked phone screen.
"Hey," he said, tossing her a folder.
She caught it without flinching, then opened it.
"…Chris," she muttered, "this is a cashier's check for two million dollars."
"Yeah."
She looked up slowly. "Did you rob a dragon?"
Chris laughed under his breath. "Tower rewards. Currency conversion. I've got more, but this is the real-world equivalent."
Nia stared down at the number again, as if it might vanish. "And you're giving this to me because…?"
"I need you to help me buy out this neighborhood," he said. "Any properties close to this building. Especially the ones the developer's trying to steamroll."
She frowned. "The school bully's dad?"
"Exactly. The kid's just trying to prove himself. I'm not mad at him. But I'm not letting him erase this place, either."
"You want to gentrify it?"
"I want to fortify it."
Nia blinked.
Chris continued. "Earth's going to change soon. You've seen the signs. If monsters keep spilling out, people are going to need strongholds. Safe zones. Controlled areas. This is my start."
She nodded slowly. "And you trust me with this?"
"Keep whatever you want from it," Chris said, waving his hand. "Just buy the lots under shell LLCs. Get a lawyer. Make it tight. You've got the mind for it."
Nia stared at him for a long time. Then nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."
⸻
That evening, Chris returned to his room and opened the Chris System interface again. A new row of data had been added since the morning:
— Quest Completions: 12
— Total Participants: 41
— Successful Subjugations: 7
— Lost Users: 2
He winced at the last number.
Even now, people were dying. And he couldn't guide them all.
Not without structure.
He opened the quest tab again. The option to issue another directive pulsed faintly.
"System," he said, "begin second quest."
[Divine Quest Initiated]
Command: Collect Invaders
Target: Energy Signatures Matching Class A Soul Patterns
[Objective Linked: Identify and Secure Potential God Seed Carriers]
Chris's heart skipped a beat as he read the fine print.
Class A soul patterns were rare—monsters or humans with divine potential. If the god hiding in Chris ever escaped, those beings would be the first to convert and betray Earth. This wasn't just a quest.
It was a preemptive purge.
The system sent the guidance paths again. Players across the world felt another tug. Those paying attention would realize something deeper was unfolding—this wasn't a game. It was war prep.
⸻
Later that night, Chris and Nia met on the rooftop. The sky above them stretched black and vast, the stars flickering like nervous eyes.
"You issued another quest," she said without looking at him.
Chris nodded. "Class A signatures. Possible god candidates."
Nia pulled her hood up against the breeze. "You're building an army."
"I'm building a defense."
"You know what the difference is?"
Chris didn't answer.
She looked at him. "Intent."
"I know."
A pause settled between them.
Then the system pinged again.
[Total Worshipping Individuals: 23]
[Total Followers: 1]
[System Progress Toward Version 1.0: 86%]
Nia raised an eyebrow. "What happens when you hit one point oh?"
Chris stared at the stars.
"Crafting unlocks. Divine blueprinting. Custom features. We'll be able to create weapons. Items. Systems within the system."
"And the god inside you?"
Chris's jaw tightened. "Still hiding. Still feeding."
Nia nodded. "Then let's kill some gods before it gets stronger."
Chris smirked. "That's the plan."
And with that, the countdown to Mars resumed—faster, sharper, and now backed by divine infrastructure.
Earth wasn't ready.
But Chris would make it ready.